Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Last night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

31 reviews

quinnpjd930's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Deportation

mostlyvoidpartiallystars's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was perhaps the best book I've read all year. From it's nuanced portrayal of teenaged lives, to the fear that coming of age as a queer teen during the Lavender Scare, to the dangers of being a Chinese American during the Red Scare. This doesn't gloss over the awfulness that 1950s America was, but it doesn't sensationalize it, either. Genuinely one of the most beautiful representations of human beings grappling with a difficult world, despite being flawed themselves, and how love changes us. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Deportation

Minor: Violence and War

dev921's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, Classism, and Deportation

bo0ks_are_cool91's review against another edition

informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow good book love the aesthetic and the characters Yaey (I will edit this I swear)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Deportation

Minor: Cursing

tabea1409's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love reading books that focus on the impact of intersectionality (how multiple parts of someone’s identity relate to each other) on people’s life experiences, and while there are an increasing number of those, this one stood out to me as also being historical fiction. Most I have read are featured in present day or are memoirs.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a coming of age novel surrounding a Chinese American child of an immigrant, living in 1950s San Francisco, who realizes she is attracted to women and that there are many others like her. With McCarthyism brings both The Red Scare and the Lavender Scare to a time where racist and homophobic sentiments were already through the roof. Lily and her family and friend’s experiences portray very multifaceted and underrepresented stories in a way that readers can easily follow and become connected to the characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Medical content, Sexual harassment, War, and Deportation

gilnean's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, War, and Classism

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

tessvosper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Classism

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

challenging sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

It's an important book due to how it tells the stories of people who previously only existed in the margins of history and gives them a voice but I personally did not enjoy it. It's probably due to how I usually don't read historical/romance, didn't ship the main couple and personally would not make some of the major decisions the main character did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, and War

Underage drinking & underage smoking. (Not explicitly condemned in text.)